Top 10 Takeaways You Need from the 2022 RSA Conference

Determining where security leaders should focus to prepare for the future of cybersecurity

June 20, 2022 | By Mike Mulligan

At RSAC 2022 in San Francisco, we met with other members of the cybersecurity community to discuss our progress and upcoming challenges. Learn how what we heard impacts your business and security strategy.

1. Infuse Security into Every Part of Your Business

Every aspect of the business requires security. Each department and team. As technology evolves, you must keep security at the forefront. For example, consider the DevSecOps approach to keep you security-first, security-always.

Check in: Where have you still not adopted a security-first approach?

2. True Security Requires End-To-End Visibility

Simply put, you can’t secure what you can’t see. Today is the best day to assess your current environment and root out where your security team may be missing context or clarity.

Break down organizational silos to increase awareness and visibility, which will:

• Reduce risk
• Increase efficiency
• Identify areas for improvement

3. Bring Security to Elevated Customer Experiences

CEO of RSA Rohit Ghai challenged our community to rethink an old narrative around security. Security does not have to come at the price of convenience. Companies must deliver frictionless experiences to avoid losing out on revenue and customer loyalty.

How can you develop a security-first approach that enables seamless customer and employee experiences?

4. Adding More Security Tools Does Not Secure Your Future

You have access to more security tools than ever, with companies at every turn—including this conference—rolling out new ones. The prevalence of new tools and technology in the security space makes sense. Cybersecurity professionals square up against ruthless, savvy bad actors each day. They ask, “Will this next tool be the key for securing my enterprise?” The answer is, most likely, no.

New tools require:

• New licenses to renew
• New dashboards to manage
• New system integration

Before you buy another security tool, ask:

• Do we currently use our suite of tools to their full potential?
• Did we implement our current tools effectively?
• How does user error and adoption affect the outcomes of current technology?
• Does replacing an existing tool tie into our security strategy?

Take stock with an assessment of your current security posture, strategy and tools.

5. The Talent Shortage Persists

The industry sees a huge demand for cybersecurity talent. New job openings outpace the talent pipeline.

• How do we prevent burnout of our current security team?
• Can we “make” and retain more security talent?
• How can we use technology to bridge the gap?

To solve the challenge presented by the talent shortage, pursue human-focused and technology solutions.

Human-focused solutions:

• Develop security champions outside your security organization.
• Cross-train and build specialized security teams that break down silos across organizations.
• Cultivate a security-built culture to make security a shared responsibility.

Technology-focused solutions:

• Standardize, automate and orchestrate mundane tasks to keep your people focused on work that requires deep thinking and curiosity.
• Use AI, machine learning and predictive analytics to meet the volume and speed demands on your security team.

Enrolling a security services partner can help you reduce strain on your teams with a future-focused, sustainable security strategy.

6. Your Annual Cybersecurity Training Is Not Enough

You might face diminishing returns on a standard, annual corporate training for your entire enterprise workforce. People start to tune it out if it’s the same training. And new threats emerge every day, so your workforce needs to think about security more than once a year. Empower your workforce to become your cybersecurity asset. How? Upgrade from a single training to ongoing cybersecurity hygiene.

Just a handful of employees causes most of your internal risk. Leverage user and system data to identify those individuals and build specialized permissions and capabilities. Your higher-risk users will still be able to do their work, insulated with an added layer of protection. Building these data-driven contingencies reduces strain on your security team and prevents burnout.

7. Check Your Compliance Blind Spots

There is growing pressure around consumer and data privacy. More states are adopting measures from the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and federal guidelines have grown. You probably have blind spots in privacy and compliance standards you should be meeting.

As government agencies and industries set more privacy and compliance standards, companies have an increasingly complex system to manage. And it continues to evolve and grow. A security partner can help you navigate the intricacies of privacy and compliance while maturing your security posture.

8. Multifactor Authentication (MFA) Is the Baseline

MFA is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s expected. Bad actors use compromised credentials to gain access to company environments. This common entry point has not been addressed by every company. Those that have not adopted MFA as the first line of defense can expect denial of insurance coverage and greater vulnerability. Security teams can implement MFA to move toward a zero-trust model.

9. The Threat Landscape Keeps Growing

Protecting the enterprise from both privately funded and nation-state cyberthreats is becoming more complex. Security doesn’t end. But there are ways IT and security organizations can tackle this challenge sustainably:

• Start with a holistic view, bringing end-to-end visibility to inform your security strategy.
• Focus on identity, cybersecurity operations, and privacy and compliance.
• Prioritize cyber resilience to plan for not if but when you experience a breach.

10. Start with a Roadmap

IT and security leaders must develop a roadmap to confront the divide between where they are and where they need to go. Use assessments to understand where you are today and how to propel your organization forward.

Whether you need security consulting or tailored security services, TEKsystems can partner with you.